Footwear with Integrated Magnets

ABSTRACT

A pair of footwear, such as boots, with integrated magnets includes a left footwear, a right footwear, a first magnet, and a second magnet. The first magnet is mounted adjacent to an opening of the left footwear. The second magnet is mounted similarly on the right footwear. When the left footwear and the right footwear is worn, the first magnet and the second magnet are positioned in an area above the inner arch of the left foot and the right foot. When not worn, the first magnet is attached to the second magnet so that a shaft portion of the left footwear and the right footwear remain in an upright position. The upright position is beneficial for storing footwear and the longevity of the footwear.

The current application claims a priority to the U.S. Provisional Patent application Ser. No. 62/315,510 filed on Mar. 30, 2016.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to footwear with integrated magnets. More particularly, the present invention relates to footwear with integrated magnets that hold the pair of footwear in an upright position, when not in use. By utilizing the present invention, the stressful procedure of having to straighten out the footwear prior to wearing is eliminated.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Footwear has evolved greatly over time. Designs, materials, and prices have changed from being used to protect the feet to being a functional accessory. The present invention is related to footwear with a high shaft height that fulfill work requirements and style requirements. Footwear that cover the ankle and footwear that cover the calf or higher is addressed via the present invention. In other words, work boots, lace-up boots, over-the-knee boots and other comparable footwear is addressed by the present invention.

The inability to store certain types of boots in an upright position is a significant disadvantage. More specifically, most boots that are made of a flexible material tend to be in a collapsed configuration when not worn. The collapsed configuration can leave crease marks on the boots that can significantly affect the appearance of the boots. Additionally, the collapsed configuration can be stressful when the user intends to carry the footwear since the footwear does not maintain a single overall shape.

The collapsed configuration can be stressful when the user intends on wearing the footwear since straightening out the footwear prior to wearing is time consuming. Thus, the need to address the collapsed configuration is clear.

As a temporary solution to the issue, many users utilize clips. Even though the clips can be used with footwear with short shaft heights, when the shaft height increases the clips may not be practical. Another disadvantage is that the clips can damage the surface of the footwear when used over an extended time.

The objective of the present invention is to address the aforementioned issues. In doing so, the present invention introduces footwear with integrated magnets that helps keep footwear such as boots in an upright position. The upright position helps the user carry the footwear from one place to another, eliminates the frustration of straightening out the footwear, and helps the longevity of the footwear.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is another perspective view of the present invention, wherein the first attachment strap and the second attachment strap are illustrated.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the right footwear, wherein the holding compartment is illustrated.

FIG. 6 is an illustration of the fastening rivets being used.

DETAIL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE INVENTION

All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

The present invention introduces a method to store footwear, such as boots, in an upright position when not in use. By utilizing the present invention, the frustration of having to straighten out the footwear prior to being worn is eliminated. Moreover, the present invention allows the user to conveniently carry footwear from one place to another. To do so, the present invention introduces footwear with integrated magnets on each of the pair of footwear.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, the present invention comprises a left footwear 1, a right footwear 2, a first magnet 14, and a second magnet 17. When in use, the left footwear 1 is worn on the left foot and the right footwear 2 is worn on the right foot of a user. The first magnet 14 and the second magnet 17 are used in the process of holding the left footwear 1 and the right footwear 2 in an upright position.

Both the left footwear 1 and the right footwear 2 each comprises an opening 9, a shaft portion 3, and a foot portion 8. The opening 9 is used for inserting the foot when wearing the left footwear 1 or the right footwear 2. The opening 9 centrally traverses into the shaft portion 3 opposite to the foot portion 8. The shaft portion 3 covers the calf region and the ankle region of the user. The height of the shaft portion 3 can vary from one footwear to another. As an example, the shaft portion 3 of a pair of ankle boots is shorter than the shaft portion 3 of a pair of over-the-knee boots. The foot portion 8 covers the foot of the user. To do so, the shaft portion 3 is terminally connected to the foot portion 8, wherein the shaft portion 3 is perpendicular to the foot portion 8.

The opening 9 is positioned furthest away from the foot portion 8 along the shaft portion 3. Therefore, an area adjacent to the opening 9 is used in the process of holding the footwear in an upright position. The first magnet 14 is mounted onto the left footwear 1 adjacent to the opening 9. Preferably, the first magnet 14 is positioned in an area above the inner arch of the left foot when the left footwear 1 is worn. Similar to the first magnet 14, the second magnet 17 is mounted onto the right footwear 2 adjacent to the opening 9, such that the positioning of the second magnet 17 is mirrored from the first magnet 14 on the left footwear 1. In particular, the second magnet 17 is positioned in an area above the inner arch of a right foot when the right footwear 2 is worn. The first magnet 14 is magnetically attracted to the second magnet 17. To do so, the first magnet 14 and the second magnet 17 are oriented so that a set of opposing magnetic poles are positioned facing each other. The size and shape of the first magnet 14 and the second magnet 17 can vary in different embodiments of the present invention. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, neodymium magnets are used as the first magnet 14 and the second magnet 17. The first magnet 14 and the second magnet 17 are chosen to be of appropriate magnetic strength so that the first magnet 14 is attracted to the second magnet 17 only at very close distances. Moreover, the first magnet 14 and the second magnet 17 are chosen so that any crosstalk effect between the first magnet 14 and the second magnet 17 is avoided.

As seen in FIG. 2, to precisely position the first magnet 14 and the second magnet 17, the opening 9 further comprises a forward edge 10, a rear edge 11, a longitudinal axis 12, and a lateral axis 13. The longitudinal axis 12 and the lateral axis 13 perpendicularly intersect each other dividing the opening 9 into four quadrants. The forward edge 10 and the rear edge 11 are positioned opposite each other along the longitudinal axis 12 that lies collinear to the foot portion 8. The lateral axis 13 is positioned equidistant from the forward edge 10 and the rear edge 11. In relation to the lateral axis 13, the first magnet 14 is positioned at a counterclockwise acute angle 15 from the lateral axis 13 on the left footwear 1. To mirror the position of the first magnet 14, the second magnet 17 is positioned at a clockwise acute angle 16 from the lateral axis 13 on the right footwear 2. The counterclockwise acute angle 15 is equal to the clockwise acute angle 16. The counterclockwise acute angle 15 and the clockwise acute angle 16 ensure that the first magnet 14 and the second magnet 17 are positioned in an area above the inner arch of each foot. More specifically, the position of the second magnet 17 is mirrored from the position of the first magnet 14. The precise positioning ensures that the first magnet 14 and the second magnet 17 are not attached to each other when the left footwear 1 and the right footwear 2 is worn by the user. The positioning also allows the first magnet 14 to be attached to the second magnet 17 with minimum effort and without the use of an external attachment mechanism.

The present invention fulfills the needs of keeping the left footwear 1 and the right footwear 2 in an upright position while maintaining the external appearance. In other words, the first magnet 14 and the second magnet 17 are integrated so that the overall style of the left footwear 1 and the right footwear 2 is not hindered. To do so, the shaft portion 3 further comprises an inner surface 4, a body 20, and an outer surface 5. The first magnet 14 is mounted onto the inner surface 4 of the left footwear 1. On the other hand, the second magnet 17 is mounted onto the inner surface 4 of the right footwear 2. Therefore, the outer surface 5, which is externally visible, remains unchanged. The outer surface 5 and the inner surface 4 are positioned opposite to each other and across the body 20. The magnetic strength of the first magnet 14 and the second magnet 17 is determined according to the thickness of the body 20.

The first magnet 14 and the second magnet 17 can be mounted differently in other embodiments of the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 5, in one embodiment of the present invention, the shaft portion 3 further comprises a holding compartment 6 which is integrated into the inner surface 4 adjacent to the opening 9. The first magnet 14 is positioned within the holding compartment 6 of the left footwear 1 and the second magnet 17 is positioned within the holding compartment 6 of the right footwear 2. If the need occurs, the first magnet 14 and/or the second magnet 17 can be replaced, if the holding compartment 6 is concealed with a fastening mechanism which can be, but is not limited to, a zipper.

As seen in FIG. 4, in another embodiment of the present invention, a first attachment strap 18 and a second attachment strap 19 can be used to mount the first magnet 14 and the second magnet 17. In such instances, the first magnet 14 is integrated into the first attachment strap 18 which is then mounted adjacent to the opening 9. In the resulting position, the first magnet 14 will be positioned above the inner arch of the left foot.

Similar to the first magnet 14, the second magnet 17 is integrated into a second attachment strap 19 which is then mounted to the right footwear 2 adjacent to the opening 9. In the resulting position, the second magnet 17 will be positioned above the inner arch of the right foot. The first attachment strap 18 and the second attachment strap 19 is mounted to the left footwear 1 and the right footwear 2 via adhesive or other comparable methods.

A wide variety of footwear seen today contain fastening rivets or buttons on the outer surface 5 of the shaft portion 3. As seen in FIG. 6, when the present invention is used with such footwear, the shaft portion 3 of the left footwear 1 comprises a fastening rivet 7 which is externally mounted onto the outer surface 5. The first magnet 14 is integrated into the fastening rivet 7 so that the overall appearance is not hindered. Like the first magnet 14, the second magnet 17 is integrated into the fastening rivet 7 which is externally mounted onto the outer surface 5 of the right footwear 2. Thus, the overall appearance of the right footwear 2 remains unchanged.

When the present invention is being utilized, the following process flow is generally followed. When the left footwear 1 and the right footwear 2 are to be stored or transported, the left footwear 1 is positioned adjacent to the right footwear 2. Next, a magnetic pole of the first magnet 14 is attached to an opposing magnetic pole of the second magnet 17. When the user intends on wearing the left footwear 1 and the right footwear 2, the first magnet 14 is detached from the second magnet 17. Since the left footwear 1 and the right footwear 2 was in the upright positioned until the point of wearing, the frustration of straightening out the left footwear 1 and the right footwear 2 prior to wearing is eliminated. As an additional benefit, the damage that can be caused by not being in an upright position is avoided with the use of the present invention.

Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A footwear with integrated magnets comprises: a left footwear; a right footwear; a first magnet; a second magnet; the left footwear and the right footwear each comprises an opening, a shaft portion, and a foot portion; the shaft portion being terminally connected to the foot portion, wherein the shaft portion is perpendicular to the foot portion; the opening centrally traversing into the shaft portion opposite the foot portion; the first magnet being mounted onto the left footwear adjacent to the opening; and the second magnet being mounted onto the right footwear adjacent to the opening, wherein the positioning of the second magnet is mirrored from the first magnet on the left footwear.
 2. The footwear with integrated magnets as claimed in claim 1 further comprises: the opening further comprises a forward edge, a rear edge, a longitudinal axis, and a lateral axis; the longitudinal axis and the lateral axis perpendicularly intersecting each other; the forward edge and the rear edge being positioned opposite each other along the longitudinal axis; the lateral axis being positioned equidistant from the forward edge and the rear edge; the first magnet being positioned at a counterclockwise acute angle from the lateral axis of the left footwear; and the second magnet being positioned at a clockwise acute angle from the lateral axis of the right footwear.
 3. The footwear with integrated magnets as claimed in claim 2, wherein the counterclockwise acute angle is equal to the clockwise acute angle.
 4. The footwear with integrated magnets as claimed in claim 1 further comprises: the shaft portion further comprises an inner surface, a body, and an outer surface; the outer surface and the inner surface being positioned opposite to each other across the body; and the first magnet being mounted onto the inner surface of the left footwear; the second magnet being mounted onto the inner surface of the right footwear.
 5. The footwear with integrated magnets as claimed in claim 4 further comprises: the shaft portion further comprises a holding compartment; the holding compartment being integrated into the inner surface adjacent to the opening; the first magnet being positioned within the holding compartment of the left footwear; and the second magnet being positioned within the holding compartment of the right footwear.
 6. The footwear with integrated magnets as claimed in claim 1 further comprises: a first attachment strap; the first magnet being integrated into the first attachment strap; and the first attachment strap being mounted to the left footwear adjacent the opening.
 7. The footwear with integrated magnets as claimed in claim 1 further comprises: a second attachment strap; the second magnet being integrated into the second attachment strap; and the second attachment strap being mounted to the right footwear adjacent the opening.
 8. The footwear with integrated magnets as claimed in claim 1 further comprises: the shaft portion of the left footwear comprises a fastening rivet and an outer surface; the fastening rivet being externally mounted onto the outer surface; and the first magnet being integrated into the fastening rivet.
 9. The footwear with integrated magnets as claimed in claim 1 further comprises: the shaft portion of the right footwear comprises a fastening rivet and an outer surface; the fastening rivet being externally mounted onto the outer surface; and the second magnet being integrated into the fastening rivet. 